with the well the pictures are plain terrible, nothing good to see or say. i've never seen pictures are so many bodies but that's the storey that needs covering. as we watch the pictures from haiti in the newspapers here as we are on television watching them, something is happening in america as well. one of the really good things about this country is our ability to act quickly. we're not the greatest when it comes to long-term stuff like keeping the debt under control or fixes up our mass transit systems but we're maybe the best anywhere getting off the dime and reacting to an immediate crisis. that's not always true, example katrina, but it's historically true. look at us after pearl harbor, the manhattan project or after the soviets beat them with sputnik. look at the marshall plan, what president bush did, george w. bush did to fight hiv over in africa. we're good for much of our

history getting together in groups, not government groups, voluntary organizations to get things done, like the people doing the good work already in haiti, so as we look at the pictures, wondering how far the media will go in showing them how much we can take in watching them, we also have to cover this story of what we americans are doing these past few days in meeting what's happening in haiti, we've moved fast, we've been generous and we're once again showing our power to work together in nongovernment organizations from the red cross, the catholic relief services to meet an urgent need. maybe some people in the world will notice how we're doing on this, maybe not. it doesn't matter. what matters is that we notice it and learn from it. this is a great and good country. it's got some weaknesses, again, like long-term thinking about spending, taxes and fiscal good sense but we're also really something else when it comes to acting quick, acting charitably, and acting as individuals and together voluntarily to help a neighbor, a very poor one that needs help.

join us again one hour from now for another live edition of "hardball." time for "the ed show" with ed schultz. good evening, americans and welcome to "the ed show" from ft. worth, texas, tonight. the haitian government has already buried 40,000 people, and they believe the death toll could top 140,000. people have started burning bodies to keep disease from spreading. public safety obviously is a major concern. security teams are being dispatched with food and water conveys to stop rioting. u.s. officials now say 10,000 troops will be on the ground by monday, about 1,000 are there right now. secretary of state hillary clinton will head to haiti tomorrow. a late-breaking development, the department of homeland security has given haitians, who were in the united states before the quake, temporary status to live and work in this country for

another 18 months. this morning, president obama spoke for 30 minutes with haitian president rene preval, who told him, "from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the haitian people, thank you, thank you, thank you." the fund-raising response here in the united states has been absolutely stunning, even in a tough economy, americans are ready and willing to help. more than $10 million has been raised through text messaging, and if you would like to donate, text the word "haiti" that's h-a-i-t-i to the number 90999 to make a $10 donation to the american red cross. we'll have much more on haiti coming up in this broadcast in this hour, and we'll have a special edition of "the ed show" tonight starting at midnight eastern time right here on msnbc. but first the big political story of the day and there is a lot of political news out there tonight, they have obviously located the panic button in the

white house. president obama will head to massachusetts on sunday afternoon to stump for endangered democratic senate candidate martha coakley. it shows scott brown leading the attorney general 50% to 46% with only 1% of the people polled undecided. the director of the suffolk political research center described the shift in the polls as a brownout and a massive change in the political landscape. bill clinton campaigned for coakley today in boston but the white house knows it may not be enough. i think it's great that the president is doing what he's doing, it's the right thing to do,'s special wli so much at stake, when it comes to the health care debate. brown already promised to be the 41st vote against health care, it would be a catastrophic failure historically on part of the democrats if this doesn't happen. we've spent a full year on

health care reform and it's now down to one vote. it is incredibly ironic that ted kennedy's seat could be the one to kill health care reform. it's really unbelievable, i think it's just an unbelievable scenario that's playing out and don't kid yourselves, folks, this could derail the rest of the obama agenda for 2010 and beyond. when he was on capitol hill last night, president obama had a look about him. you could tell he was angry, somewhat frustrated, like he just couldn't believe that this was happening. >> i know everybody in the media's all in a tizzy, oh, what's this going to mean politically. well let me tell you something. if republicans want to campaign against what we've done by standing up for the status quo, and for insurance companies over american families and businesses, that is a fight i want to have. >> the way the political winds are turning right now is salutely amazing. this is a perfect storm for the democrats, joe lieberman, ben

nelson, blanche lincoln and the rest of the blue dogs are watching this like hawks. if the tea party-endorsed candidate nabs ted kennedy's seat in massachusetts it's the end of change as we know it. that's my take. joining us for all the facts from washington, d.c., nbc's kelly o'donnell. kelly, tell us the back story to this. are the democrats really nervous about this race in massachusetts? is it as close as the numbers say it is? >> well, when you hear from democrats and republicans the same story about a race like this, then you get a sense that there really is something here. we have thought that all the drama in this race would be which democrat would win the primary back in december. no one thought that martha coakley, the popular attorney general in massachusetts, would have any trouble, so what has happened? well, there are a few different kinds of forces at work here, ed. part of it is the big picture that doesn't directly have to do with these two candidates, a sense that there is a mood change in the country. is this a way to speak to the

whole issue of the obama presidency and the direction of the country, frustrations about health care, about the expanding deficit. there are people who are saying that this is a way to send a signal about those issues. at the same time, martha coakley as an individual candidate has frustrated some democrats for not running as hard as they mil might have liked and making a few misstep s along the way. scott brown was not well-known in massachusetts. he's a guy who has managed to not paint himself as a typical republican which is exactly what democrats are trying to do. so he talks about being an independent thinker. he had help today from rudy giuliani, martha coakley had help today from president clinton, those big names trying to campaign to bring more energy, the big difference that everyone is talking about is which set of voters is more motivated to go to the polls on a january day that might be snow, it's going to be cold, it's a special election. people are saying conservatives and republicans and perhaps

leaning independents might be more energized. what we've got to figure out is whether all the talk we're doing about this race will fire up democrats to try to prevent a loss, a stunning loss, really, if it were to happen. some say martha coakley can pull it out but even if scott brown does not win, if he is close, republicans are saying that's a victory for them, perhaps a moral victory for them, where they would be able to use that as an inspiration for other races around the country in november's midterm, so already republicans are telling me they are just delighted, and they actually feel pretty encouraged because of fund-raising for tuesday, and democrats are showing real concern, still optimistic that it can be pulled out but real concern

the health care plan and various

other issues. that in my view is a myth. the president's very popular in massachusetts. john kerry is popular in message. there was a message coakley is taking things for granted. she isn't doing that anymore. she did that after the primary, ran a lacklustre campaign, seemed to be running for re-election as attorney general. she got a big wake-up call. suffolk poll saying 1% of the voters are undecided is absurd. i think the president's going up there to fight for her but more than that going there to fight for health care because it is appalling someone would get ted kennedy's senate seat to fight not just against health care but against all of the things ted kennedy fought for all his life. >> bob, do you think democrats in massachusetts view it that way do, they recognize the moment? turnout is going to be terribly critical on tuesday, and you were talking about a candidate that may have recognized that she's in trouble late in this

race, and maybe not has been as focused as she should have been but it really comes down to the turnout, and with so much at stake, do you view this also the second part of my question is, is this a seat change in america if the democrats can't win ted kennedy's seat in massachusetts? >>interpreted in the media as a seat change and we get to 2010 and 2012. i think democrats are going to turn out in the race. i think all the attention the race has gotten, the fact that scott brown who is no independent, no independent thinker, he's a sanforized republican, he revealed that yesterday when he came out against the charge on the banks that president obama wants to propose he's standing with the big banks. president obama is fighting to get the t.a.r.p. money repaid. we know if this guy gets to the senate he's going to be a down-the-line vote and it's not going to be a populous vote. it will be a special interest vote t will stand against all the values that people in massachusetts believe in.

>> is health care a hot topic in massachusetts to the point where i mean i have hey some talkers tell me that, you know, the people of massachusetts really aren't for this health care bill in the way it's all playing out right now, as much as they like president obama, there seems to be a good portion of the people in massachusetts that don't like the way this is going, and they feel like the president may have left the base a little bit, he, of course, will try to shore the head up on sunday but what is the feeling towards health care reform? is this candidate, scott brown maybe at the right place at the right time? >> well, i don't think the problem here is with the base. i think the base is going to vote for martha coakley. the question is getting that base to turn out. it depends what poll you fwleef massachuset believe in massachusetts and how the question is asked. there's a lot from the left and from the right. massachusetts of course already has universal health insurance for everybody, and i think it's a question of appealing to people's better instincts what's

been done in that state needs to be done in the country. you know you listen to scott brown, and you say this guy is a complete phony. he says "i really believe in health reform" but i'll be the 41st vote against it so we can go back to the drawing boards and start all over again. you know when that draft will be finished about 20 years from now. >> bob shrum, always a pleasure. see you next week. >> thanks. coming up we have passed the critical 72-hour mark for finding survivors of the tragic earthquake in haiti. the united states military is on the ground and racing against the clock. we'll get a live report from nbc's michelle kosinski in a moment. and the health care bill is hours away from coming together, and it looks like nancy pelosi is winning the fight on the national exchange. congressman jim, tell it like it is moran will join us for reaction in a moment, all that plus the drugster redefined

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coming. a live report from haiti and you can help the millions of people in need by donating to one of the charitable organizations that are on the ground in haiti. go to ed.msnbc.com to be connected to the aid group of your choice or you can make a $10 donation to the red cross right here by texting the word "haiti" h-a-i-t-i to 90999, it will be automatically charged to your cell phone bill. stay with us. advisor:... ms. davis, this is onstar. i've received a signal you've been in a crash... i'm contacting emergency services... 911 dispatch:...onstar reporting a front end crash... on wakefield road... chevy malibu... fire/ems:...air bags deployed... ...injuries reported...

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welcome back to "the ed show." increasing desperation haiti, three days after the earthquake destroyed the country's capital city. haitian authorities estimate that 140,000 people may have been killed. today president obama emphasized america's continued commitment to haiti's recovery. >> it's characteristic of the american people to help others in time of such severe need. that's the spirit that we will need to sustain this effort as it goes forward. there are going to be many difficult days ahead. it will take time to establish distribution points so that we can ensure that resources are delivered safely and effectively and in an orderly fashion, but i want the people of haiti to know that we will do what it takes to save lives and to help them get back on their feet. >> more than 20 other countries

are also sending food and supplies, but it is arriving slowly. the main seaport in haiti is damaged and the airport is jammed with aircraft. the haitian officials are concerned that further delays in aid could lead to an outbreak of violence. now more here's itv's paul davis. >> reporter: outside a u.n. building in port-au-prince, earthquake survivors fight over boxes of food. it's what happens when people are this desperate. and yet the terrible irony is, the life-saving aid the outside world is sending is arriving in haiti, only planes are going to cue up to land at its tiny airport and once on the ground there's a bottleneck, a devastated infrastructure and ruined roads means the food, medicine and shelter so willingly donated by so many nations is taking an eternity to reach those who need it. it's so close, yet still they are waiting.

in this atmosphere, the risk of an arcy is so real u.n. soldiers, rifles at the ready, watch over one of the first attempts to distribute food in the center port-au-prince. for many this will be the first hot meal since the earthquake but it's ironic that there are more soldiers preventing disorder than there are volunteers distributing food. but then how can you blame people who have lived and waited for three days now bodies lying in the street. here outside a hospital, hundreds of corpses await identification and burial. medical staff are too busy trying to save the living. the hospital car park has become an overcrowded emergency ward. there are victims here of all ages, lives still hang in the balance. local doctors waiting for outside help overwhelmed by the

number of casualties. >> usually we have 50 doctors here in the hospital, now, i don't have 20. i don't have 20 doctors now. >> reporter: paul davis, itv news. >> thank you, paul. for more on the relief effort let me bring in tracy kidder of partners in help, a medical organization that has worked in haiti for more than 20 years. tracy is also a pulitzer prize winning author of "mountains beyond mountains," which tells the story of a doctor who worked to cure tuberculosis in haiti. tracy, good to have you with us tonight. there's been a lot of conversation obviously about relief, there's been a tremendous response getting it out to the people, obviously, logistically as one of the big problems. what about medical facilities, are we making any headway at all when it comes to attending to the needs of the people of haiti when it comes to medical needs? >> ed i'm sorry to say i don't

know chapter and verse about this. i do know what partners in health has been doing. partners in health was the largest medical health care provider in rural haiti. they were relatively almost completely unscathed by the earthquake. they have ten hospitals, they have 120 doctors, 600 nurses, about 2,000 community health workers, almost all of whom are haitian, they're very skillful. there are ten hospitals in the central plateau now being inundated by patients who are making their way from the capital and of course they're taking all comers. they have also sent teams into port-au-prince, there are probably some of the very first responders so they are intact. they are trying to set up a base of operations to provide emergency care and then to identify the people who need to be sent out to their hospitals out in the countryside. but this is only a fraction of course of what needs to be done. it's truly horrifying situation.

if i might say one thing -- >> absolutely. >> i think this will, i mean one way or another haiti will get through this. it's what happens afterwards, too, that i think we have to soon begin to think about and i would like to say that partners in health i know i'm biased, you know, but i've seen these people in operation and i mean this is a totally almost totally indigenous operation now that was founded by an american doctor. it seems to me it provides a really good model of how aid ought to go forward in this country. that is one they make every attempt to work with the government to work with the authorities to strengthen the public institutions of haiti, and to instill both expertise and infrastructure in a country that really needs both, and deserves both n my view. so i think it's an exemplary -- >> your organization has been

down there for 20 years. can you speak to the character of the people? they have through so much, they're a nation that's very poor, the poorest country in our hemisphere. the character of them, they've been through an awful lot. give us a sense of how you think they're going to be pulling through this. >> they are some of the toughest people on earth, and some of the most hospitable and in my limited experience, some of the most gracious and generous whom i've ever encountered. this is a people who have created extraordinary art and music. they are also the people who abolished slavery really. kidnapped west africans their ancestors who threw out their french masters and created their own republic. this is the only place in the world this happened. they are to me, you know, i think they're magical people, and gosh, you know, their history, unfortunately, you

know, my own country has played a large role in their history and not all of it good, but i do think that in recent years under this administration and to some degree under the clinton administration, the approach of the u.s. government was much better and i think progress was being made quite recently among other things, paul farmer, dr. paul farmer is the deputy special envoy to haiti and i think that should give some comfort that the reconstruction will take a form that really has some promise for haiti. i do. >> tracy kidder, partners in health, i appreciate your time tonight. thanks so much. you've given us a real insight on how -- >> thank you. >> -- you bet, on how the people are responding and the character of the people of haiti and the thing that strikes me in what you say tonight there are good people, good-hearted people, and this is so out of character when people start, you know, getting violent and whatnot, security is somewhat of an issue down there.

thank you, tracy. i appreciate your time. >> how would we behave? thank you, ed. >> yes. coming up, in the midst of all of this coverage and this tragedy that's been taken place, there are some words that are being thrown out in this country that are just unbelievable. the drugster says he's trying to tweet the media with his despicable comments. buckle up, big guy, coming after new "psycho talk" next. se-- new breathe right extra. the only strip with an extra spring-like band, it's 50% stronger for congested noses that need extra help in opening nasal passages... so you breathe even better. and now get two free samples... and experience a better night's sleep for yourself. go to breatheright.com to try new breathe right extra.

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and in "psycho talk" tonight the drugster is still exploiting the tragedy in haiti to further his hateful political agenda. today he went after president obama again for not talking about the cost of sending u.s. troops to haiti and he topped it off with a swipe at the military. >> so president obama was quick to claim that it cost u.s. taxpayers $1 billion for every 1,000 soldiers sent to afghanistan. remember this? and he has yet to mention how much it cost to send a soldier to haiti. why is there no concern about the cost from the white house? when there was so much concern about afghanistan, after all, isn't the job of the u.s. military first and foremost to protect the national security and interests of the united states? no, it's not. the u.s. military is now meals on wheels. >> well, rush, you seriously have misplaced priorities here. now from a guy who wrapped himself in the american flag for some eight years and threatened,

you know, liberals, you know, because they just didn't love the military the way you did, this is widely off base and if you think the role of our troops is limited to food distribution, you got a real lack of understanding of the dire situation down in haiti, not to mention the lack of respect for the men and women in uniform in the united states military. they have the skills that go far beyond wielding weapons. in fact, they are down in haiti right now, right now running air traffic control for safety concerns, and yes, they are helping distribute food and water, which under the circumstances is an incredibly complex task of the utmost importance. who better to be in charge of something like that than members of our highly trained disciplined military. rushtrivializing the heroic nature of our men and women puts you in the serious "psycho talk" zone. coming up former cia officer

jack rice is headed to port-au-prince and he'll join us with the latest on the role of america's military and how they are performing down there. congressman jim moran will talk about health care, the battlefield is squaring up ands' also waging war against don't ask, don't tell. that's next. plus, guess who is on the gop's top ten most wanted list? your old buddy, big eddie. more on that at the bottom the hour. but more people prefer this sauce. winner of the blind taste test. the sweet and savory taste of prego. it's in there. only alka-seltzer relieves your upset stomach, heartburn, indigestion and headache... so you're good to go in the morning. you're late. alka-seltzer brings you back.

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welcome back to "the ed show." from ft. worth, texas, tonight, thanks for watching. to health care, steny hoyer says we could have a final health care bill in the next 72 hours but a third day of marathon negotiations at the white house has ended without a deal. the urgency is growing because of the political landscape in massachusetts and the dramatic turn of events in that senate

race it's looking increasingly possible that democratic candidate running for ted kennedy's seat could lose that seat. the president is now heading to boston sunday to try to prevent that, but if it happens, in the words of chairman barney frank, it would kill the health care bill. joining me now is virginia congressman jim moran, a member of the progressive caucus. good to have you back with us tonight. >> good to be here. >> were you in the room last night -- you bet. were you in the room last night when president obama spoke to the democrats, if you could describe the intensity it looked like from the sound cut we ran that president obama was very intense, we're definitely coming down to the wire on this. tell us his mood, his determination, and what your impressions were. >> well, obviously i wouldn't miss that. he was intense, very serious. he has an extraordinary capacity to grasp details, but also to keep the context in mind, and he

made it clear, he's going to give us a bill that we can sell, and that he will do his best to sell all over the nation. the problem is, it needs to be finalized before we can go out and market it. now, he sat down with the speaker, and rich trumpka and his other labor leaders worked out the deal that was the biggest problem on the house side, and i think now that they've gotten over that, that they've satisfied organized labor, because labor gave up a lot of salary increases in order to get better health care coverage, and now to tax that at 40%, it just wasn't going to work and wasn't going to work with probably a majority of the house democrats. so that's worked out now, and he's now got to worry about the senate, you're absolutely right. how ironic that the person that

would fill ted kennedy's seat could very possibly be the vote that would kill health care reform in the senate. so we've got to get it done before that happens. you're absolutely right, this is urgent. it's number one priority. really nothing else much matters other than the fact we've got to respond to what's going on in haiti, as you've made clear. >> congressman, you made reference to the excise tax and the unions, of course, have come to negotiation, we'll touch on that again in a few moments with leo girard, but what about abortion, what about all the concerns with the conservative democrats in the house, the last few days there hasn't been a whole lot of conversation about the abortion concerns because there is language in that senate bill that a number of liberal democrats are not going to go along with, so where is that as you see it right now? >> it's undecided how we're going to work that out, ed. that's one of the pieces that needs to be fixed.

i would hope that we could find a way around that. i would hope that the people who are opposed to abortion under any circumstances would understand that the american people need health care, and as important as abortion is to them this is about the quality of life of all americans, and they ought to be willing to make some compromise. so right now, we've got very conservative language in the house and senate, but i think those of us who feel a woman ought to have control over her own body are willing to make some compromise to get this health care reform bill through. >> and one other point i want to ask tonight on a different subject and i know you have worked on, that is the military issue of don't ask, don't tell. what is happening, because today was a big deadline on that. >> well, it was. 95 of us in the congress sent a letter to secretary gates saying we want to know how many people you have discharged over this policy.

you know, there are so few other countries that have this policy where you discharge people because they happen to be gay. >> and what is that number? >> iran -- well, a number of people discharged more than 13,500. we've recently discharged more than 800 mission critical troops, 67 who could speak farsi and arabic. they did nothing wrong other than the fact they were suspected of being gay so we discharge them. 2001 we discharged almost 1,300 people as soon as the bush administration came in. that's not what the obama administration is about. it's about getting the very best people. there are thousands of gay people around the country watching your show who want to be in the military, who want to go to haiti, who want to help those people, and they can't because they happen to be gay. not that they're not qualified. not that they are not good u.s. citizens and patriotic so it needs to be fixed. that's all and let's get it

fixed. it's not as much as important as other items but it ought to be done. >> yeah, no doubt about it. congressman, good to have you with us tonight. i appreciate your joining us on this friday evening. >> good to be here. >> you bet. back to health care for a moment. labor drew a line in the sand in the final health care negotiations and in a sense it worked. union leaders have won major changes on the excise tax and in that compromise, union plans will be exempt from the tax until 2018. the taxable threshold has been raised and will be adjusted for inflation and it will allow unions to shop for plans in the new health care insurance exchange. today nancy pelosi said house democrats were on board with the compromise. >> this is something that president wants to have in the bill in principle and he will. i think the principle is preserved. working families and middle class in our country will not feel the negative impact that we feared. >> joining me now is leo girard,

president of the united steelworkers international. mr. girard, always a pleasure. good to have you with us tonight. how much did labor give up? how much did the white house give up? are you comfortable from where it is right now on the excise tax? >> well, let me say that it was a meaningful set of discussions that we had, because we were substantially concerned that the excise tax as it was designed in the senate was going to be hugely unfair to middle class workers and middle class families, and what we wanted to do was have a discussion that would make that those that already had health care weren't going to be pushed out of the health care system by an unfair tax. i think that the president came to the discussion with an open mind and said he didn't run for election to punish middle class families, and that he wanted to know our concerns, and over a number of days, a number of trade unions led by richard

trumka explained all of the different concerns, people older getting punished, women getting extra and a lot of it was over demographics, age, location, and as we explained those it became clear there need to be some way to relieve the burden off middle class workers and i think we've done that, not just for trade unionists but for middle class families across the board. >> are the unions of this country satisfied with the president's performance on health care reform? i mean, now he seems to be really engaging down the stretch. his talk last night at the house, some of the things he's doing right now, and now, of course, leo, this senate race that's taken place up in massachusetts on tuesday throws a whole new mix into this game. there is a chance if this senate seat is lost by the democrats and union can play a big part of boots on the ground on this, this whole thing could be for naught. isn't that correct? >> well i think as congressmen said it would be a tragedy if someone was to get ted kennedy's seat and vote against this

health care proposal, and i think we have to get it done before that possibility could haen look, this is not the health care bill that the labor movement written, not the health care bill that the house wrote and certainly not the health care bill that most democrats would write. we need to know and not to never forget that every single republican has been engaged anything that was in that health care bill that would have helped middle class workers, the middle class families so that what we've got is a health care bill that has the possibility hopefully very soon of getting politically passed at this point in our political environment. this is a bill that's going to bring about something we haven't been able to do in america for 100 years, get every american high-quality health care and affordable health care. i'm very concerned and i'm very proud of nancy pelosi for hanging in and demanding that there be a national exchange or a national set of rules so that we can try to bring about some competition, so i think we've made some concessions. everybody's made concessions. the only people that haven't done anything are the republicans who are just against

anything. >> there's no doubt about that. thank you, leo gerard, appreciate your time tonight. president of the steelworkers international with us here on "the ed show." we bring in joe madison, xm satellite radio talk show host and ron christi, republican strategist with us tonight. gentlemen, it is almost politically amazing what is unfolding in massachusetts. ron christi, is this the golden goose that the republicans have been waiting for to knock down health care reform? >> well, i don't think it's the golden goose. the republicans have been looking for it. this is the golden opportunity for the american people to stop the arrogance of one-party control here in washington, d.c., this ultimate cynicism of the deal reached with the unions i think is appalling that you would have two people who sit side by side at the department of justice here in washington, one who is a member of a union and one who is not they're at the same pay scale but yet if you are a member of a union you're exempt from a tax and if you're not, you have to pay that tax. it's the ultimate cynicism, the ultimate arrogance of power and i think tuesday is going to send

a wake-up call around the country, the american people are sick and tired of the side deals, they're sick and tired of one-party control and they're tired of the runaway deficit spending. >> joe madison, your response to that, has it been one-party control, numerous times i thought i've heard the president try to reach out and get olympia sn snowe and other republicans on board and your thoughts on what could unfold in massachusetts. >> a look at the invitation to the white house list and you'll see whether republicans have been invited to the white house to have heart-to-heart discussions, but it's interesting what ron said. he forgets most people who are not members of unions have benefited from unions, whether they are dues paying members or not, and i would suspect that this might be the same when it all flushes out with health care, and i think that's what you heard your last guest say,

that this isn't necessarily just about unions, but it's about middle class people. >> yes. >> here's something else that i'm -- i would be interested. let's say the worst case scenario is that the seat goes to the republicans in massachusetts. i doubt that that will happen, because i think that the democrats know where their votes are. it's a heavy democratic state. it's well-organized, and it's just a matter of, as someone said today in the green room, getting the school buses out and getting them rolling, but then, ed, and correct me on this if i'm wrong, you could hold up, and ron won't like, this the certification of the election. i mean, that's, that is a strategy. >> well, if that happens, if i could just say, if the secretary of state in massachusetts decides to hold up the validation of this with the

absentee ballots and there is a 15-day window there, he would really be playing russian roulette with a lot of conservative democrats in the house who are concerned about re-election. >> but you know how politics are, yes, i mean anything's possible. that's all i'm saying. >> i don't think the democrats want to do that, joe. >> no. >> i really don't think, i think the pushback would be something else. on a lighter note, ron christie, i'm wearing this as a badge of honor, that the gop has put out its most wanted list, and in a sense i'm happy and in a sense, i like being number one. heck, you got me at number four. harry reid number one, barbara boxer number two, dnc chair tim kaine number three and there's your old buddy ed from msnbc in at number four. ron you got to give me credit, at least i cracked the top five. >> it's good to see you in the top five, my friend. i'd never put you on my endangered list. you've got a special place on my list. >> i'm jealous. i'm not on the list! >> that's a most wanted list.

>> i'm jealous i'm not on it, ed. >> that's not an endangered list. >> quit complaining you're on the list. >> joe, it's no honor. fellow, good to have you with us tonight. >> take care, ed. >> thank you. coming up one of the largest conservative newspapers in america thinks president obama is, get this, doing a great job when it comes to fiscal responsibility. top economists peter moreci will join me in a moment. sluggish...aren't you? well, i watch what i eat and i eat activia every morning. i don't see how a yogurt like activia can help with irregularity. she's living proof. help get your system back on track. activia with bifidus regularis, helps regulate your digestive system in two weeks. mmm. this won't be hard. take the activia challenge now. it works or your money back! ♪ activia!!!

haitian president rene preval says his country is like a war zone. let's go live to haiti, nbc's michelle kosinski joins me from the airport in port-au-prince. michelle? >> reporter: it really does look like a war -- hi, ed t looks and feels like a war zone especially with all the military here, this is foreign military behind us camped out at the port-au-prince airport but all day long u.s. navy planes we've seen landing and taking off, some loaded with

aid and some we understand also transporting people. there's been a sort of field hospital set up here, before americans are evacuated to the u.s., people who have been pulled out of the rubble and here we are in the fourth day after this disaster. of course, time is running out for those still trapped, but even now, in the afternoon, we're seeing rescue teams from around the world digging through the rubble, and still finding people alive. it is an incredibly emotional place, a disturbing place, and a fight thing in place, and now we're seeing damage not to the scale of port-au-prince, but people still affected by the earthquake very much, buildings down, people hungry and thirsty, well outside the capital, too, ed. >> thanks, michelle. we'll be right back with more on "the ed show" right after this. announcer: trying to be good to your heart?

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in my playbook tonight, karl rove as worked hard to paint the democrats as fiscally irresponsible but get this, the conservative "washington times" is reporting that president obama has already been significantly more successful in cutting spending than bush ever was. congress has approved more than 60% of obama's budget cutting proposals for the first year he was in office. bush's most successful year was 2006 and he got only 40% of the cuts he proposed that year. 2007 and 2008 he got 15% of what he wanted. joining me now is economist peter moreci, professor at the university of maryland. peter, how does the white house capitalize on this? this is supposed to be really good news in times of exploding budget deficits. >> there was a great article this morning in "the post" by axelrod. one bush came into office they had a $236 billion surplus that they inherited from clinton.

when bush left office they had a $1.3 trillion deficit. now, the president will have to start to grind down the deficit in 2011 once the economy has recovered, and that's his challenge but certainly we can only go up from here. >> peter, you've been rather critical of the obama white house as far as dealing with wall street. the comments that the president made yesterday, how did they sit with you? do they go far enough and of course it came on the heels of the testimony of the bank ceos the day before in front of that house committee. what are your thoughts? >> this year the banks are giving out $145 billion in bonuses and the president's proposed tax will only take back $9 billion a year. in britain they're taxing the bonus 50% for any bonus over $250,000. i would prefer to see an approach just like that. let's go right after those bonuses, take them back, put it in the treasury. >> is this going to be a hot political potato, because obviously this has a real

populist tone to it, almost like the president is sticking up for the masses on this. >> i don't think he'll be able to get it through the senate. even if they win in massachusetts, it's going to be hard to muster the super majority for this purpose, simply because wall street gives a lot of political contribution, campaign contributions to democrats, so this is a tough one for the president. >> peter morici, appreciate your time tonight. thanks so much. coming up, keeping the peace in haiti is getting tougher by the minute. former cia officer jack rice joins me to talk about security right after this. stay with us. can i tell you what a difference phillips' colon health has made? it's the probiotics. the good bacteria. that gets your colon back in balance. i'm good to go! phillips' colon health.

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